Child predator suspect arrested

A man from the state of Georgia who allegedly tried to buy a five-year old child online has been arrested in Thunder Bay.

The man, who moved to the U.S. from France, had been on the run from American authorities for almost two weeks, but was captured in the city Friday night.

Patrick Molesti, 56, of Woodstock, Ga., was apprehended at the Greyhound bus station. U.S. media report that the man crossed into Canada on a bus travelling from Wyoming to Calgary. Once in Calgary, he boarded another bus en route to Montreal, where it is believed Molesti was planning on catching a flight to France.

Molesti is charged with sexually exploiting children after U.S. investigators found child pornography on his computer, along with evidence that he was trying to purchase a five-year old boy online.

Thunder Bay Police spokesman Chris Adams says they were contacted by Canada Border Services to locate the runaway.

Molesti did not resist arrest, and he remains in custody in Thunder Bay while he awaits a potential extradition back to the States. Click here to submit a letter to the editor.